5전 전승의 위용, 위기를 기회로 바꾼 한국 여자배구의 ‘강소휘 리더십’ > 뉴스

The Korean national team, led by coach Cha Sang-hyun, showed off its stable power in both offense and defense through this group stage. Starting with Kyrgyzstan, the national team defeated Uzbekistan, the Philippines, and Australia in succession, continuing the streak of zero losses, showing the most solid organization among the participating countries in this tournament. In particular, the players' even performance in each game stood out, which means that a variety of attack patterns that do not depend on specific players have been established. Korea's world ranking of 33rd was insignificant, and it solidified its first place in Group A with intelligent volleyball that persistently exploits the opponent's weaknesses. The performance of this tournament is significant in that it goes beyond simply advancing to the semifinals and suggests the direction in which Korean volleyball should move in future international competitions.

But the final match against Taiwan was anything but smooth. They seemed to be cruising along, winning the first set easily, but the problem was that their receiving line fluctuated sharply from the second set. Korea, unable to respond to Taiwan's irregular timing attack and quick toss and losing the second and third sets in a row, faced a crisis situation with the shadow of defeat looming over them. The simple pattern of relying only on left and right attacks began to be read by opposing blockers, and the flow of the game quickly shifted towards Taiwan. However, starting from the 4th set, Korea turned the situation around by building a strong blocking wall using its height advantage, and showed concentration to come back from the brink and bring the game back to square one.

The biggest contributor to this victory was definitely captain Kang So-hwi. So-Hwi Kang scored a whopping 28 points, including 7 blocking, and played a key role in the team's offense and defense perfectly. In addition to simply focusing on attack, the blocking ability to block the opponent's attack path in front of the net served as a driving force in further enhancing the team's defensive organization. In addition, Lee Ye-rim's decisive open attack in the 5th set and Na Hyun-soo's 12-point support proved why Korea has the power of a 'triangular formation'. In particular, Lee Ye-rim's bold push technique in a close game broke Taiwan's defensive concentration and remained a decisive moment that drove the victory.

Now, a bigger mountain awaits the national team: Vietnam. The semifinal match against Vietnam, which will be held at 8 PM on the 13th, is a match of such importance that it can be called the de facto final. Vietnam is a strong contender for the championship with the highest world ranking among the participating countries, and has a painful history with Korea, having suffered consecutive defeats at last year's Asian Games and Asian Championships. Overcoming Vietnam in this tournament, which is missing powerhouses such as Japan, China, and Thailand, is an essential step for Korean women's volleyball to leap to the top of Asia. The national team will need to use the difficult experience it experienced in the match against Taiwan as a lesson to prepare for thorough preparations to block Vietnam's height and offensive power.